HOW GINO LOST HIS FAMILY IN AN EARTHQUAKE

I just finished watering the plants in the garden and I was getting ready to eat breakfast when the ground started to shake that morning. I thought it was just another small earthquake.

- By Zaida Marie A. Tambis

I had felt a few before, and they never lasted long, so they didn’t usually scare me. But this time was different. The walls of our house rattled, the plates fell from the shelves, and my little sister screamed.

I panicked. The words “duck, cover and hold” kept flashing in my mind. I remembered that we should stay calm and hide under a sturdy table, but instead, I ran to the window to see what was happening outside. My parents ran after me, shouting, “Gino! Get down!” But before they could reach me, the glass wall shattered. Shane screamed even louder.

Then I did another wrong thing. I ran for the door while the floor was still shaking. I thought I could make it outside, but as soon as I reached the front, part of the ceiling collapsed. I was lucky to get out, though I didn’t know how I ended up there.